A lady friend actually pointed this out to me, which has been stuck in my mind for a few hours now. Joker has Harley. Lex Luthor has Mercy. Penguin has the Kabuki Twins (you go Pengi). In the live action movie X-Men, Magneto has Mystique. Syndrome has Mirage. Ra’s al Ghul had his daughter Talia.
What I’m getting at is this: comic book Masterminds typically have a beautiful woman at their side, whose privy to their boss’s deepest secrets, and will loyally stand by his side until the bitter end. In most cases, she is also his unspoken lover. Yet categorically uniform, the Mastermind will abandon her when the chips are down, whereas she would remain till the death. Joker has left Harley to Batman many times. Lex allowed Mercy to die. The Penguin will ditch the twincest if they slow him down. Magneto left Mystique to her fate in the 3rd movie. Syndrome gambled with Mirage’s life. Ra disowned Talia. So forth and so on. Of course time and time again, the loyal lovestruck sidekick always returns to her master’s side.
It’s kinda strange… having honor is not an issue with evil Masterminds - see Slade from Teen Titans. However unconditional love is something that American comic villains are devoid of. Why do you think that is? Why do writers refuse to accept that the Joker would sacrifice himself to keep Harley around? Sure, he can keep beating her (as it’s often hinted that he does), but is it wrong to think he could actually CARE for her in that sick twisted mind of his? Enough so that he would try to save her if an opportunity arose?
Just for the record, evil women will abandon their evil male sidekicks too. Storm Hawks has a woman named Master Cyconis, who ditches her champion Dark Ace - who in the pilot episode, sacrificed himself for her well being.
